< Proverbs 17 >
1 Better [is] a dry morsel, and rest with it, Than a house full of the sacrifices of strife.
It is better to have quiet with a dry morsel of bread than a house full of feasting with strife.
2 A wise servant rules over a son causing shame, And he apportions an inheritance in the midst of brothers.
A wise servant will rule over a son who acts shamefully and will share the inheritance as one of the brothers.
3 A refining pot [is] for silver, and a furnace for gold, And the trier of hearts [is] YHWH.
The crucible is for silver and the furnace is for gold, but Yahweh refines hearts.
4 An evildoer is attentive to lips of vanity, Falsehood is giving ear to a mischievous tongue.
The evildoer pays attention to wicked lips; a liar gives ear to a destructive tongue.
5 Whoever is mocking at the poor Has reproached his Maker, Whoever is rejoicing at calamity is not acquitted.
Whoever mocks the poor insults his Maker and the one who rejoices at misfortune will not go unpunished.
6 Sons’ sons [are] the crown of old men, And the glory of sons [are] their fathers.
Grandchildren are the crown of the aged and parents bring honor to their children.
7 A lip of excellence is not fitting for a fool, much less a lip of falsehood for a noble.
Eloquent speech is not suitable for a fool; much less are lying lips suitable for royalty.
8 A stone of grace [is] the bribe in the eyes of its possessors, Wherever it turns, it prospers.
A bribe is like a magic stone to the one who gives it; wherever he turns, he succeeds.
9 Whoever is covering transgression is seeking love, And whoever is repeating a matter Is separating a familiar friend.
Whoever overlooks an offense seeks love, but the one who repeats a matter alienates close friends.
10 Rebuke comes down on the intelligent More than one hundred stripes on a fool.
A rebuke goes deeper into a person who has understanding than a hundred blows go into a fool.
11 An evil man seeks only rebellion, And a fierce messenger is sent against him.
An evil person only seeks rebellion, so a cruel messenger will be sent against him.
12 The meeting of a bereaved bear by a man, And—not a fool in his folly.
It is better to meet a bear robbed of her cubs than to meet a fool in his foolishness.
13 Whoever is returning evil for good, Evil does not move from his house.
When someone returns evil for good, evil will never leave his house.
14 The beginning of contention [is] a letting out of waters, And leave the strife before it is meddled with.
The beginning of conflict is like one who releases water everywhere, so walk away from the dispute before it has broken out.
15 Whoever is justifying the wicked, And condemning the righteous, Even both of these [are] an abomination to YHWH.
The person who acquits the wicked person and the person who condemns the righteous person— both are an abomination to Yahweh.
16 Why [is] this—a price in the hand of a fool to buy wisdom, And a heart—there is none?
Why should a fool pay money to learn about wisdom, when he has no ability to learn it?
17 The friend is loving at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.
A friend is loving at all times and a brother is born for times of trouble.
18 A man lacking heart is striking hands, He becomes a guarantor before his friend.
A man having no sense makes binding promises and becomes responsible for his neighbor's debts.
19 Whoever is loving transgression is loving debate, Whoever is making his entrance high is seeking destruction.
Whoever loves conflict loves sin; the one who makes the threshold of his door too high causes bones to be broken.
20 The perverse of heart does not find good, And the [one] turned in his tongue falls into evil.
A person who has a crooked heart finds nothing that is good; the one who has a perverse tongue falls into calamity.
21 Whoever is begetting a fool has affliction for it, Indeed, the father of a fool does not rejoice.
Whoever is the parent of a fool brings grief to himself; and the father of a fool has no joy.
22 A rejoicing heart does good to the body, And a struck spirit dries the bone.
A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a broken spirit dries up the bones.
23 The wicked takes a bribe from the bosom, To turn aside the paths of judgment.
A wicked man accepts a secret bribe to pervert the ways of justice.
24 The face of the intelligent [is] to wisdom, And the eyes of a fool—at the end of the earth.
The one who has understanding sets his face toward wisdom, but the eyes of a fool are set on the ends of the earth.
25 A foolish son [is] a provocation to his father, And bitterness to her bearing him.
A foolish son is a grief to his father and bitterness to the woman who bore him.
26 Also, [it] is not good to fine the righteous, To strike nobles for uprightness.
Also, it is never good to punish the righteous person; neither is it good to flog noble men who have integrity.
27 One acquainted with knowledge is sparing his words, And the cool of temper [is] a man of understanding.
One who has knowledge uses few words and one with understanding is even-tempered.
28 Even a fool keeping silence is reckoned wise, He who is shutting his lips [seems] intelligent!
Even a fool is thought to be wise if he keeps silent; when he keeps his mouth shut, he is considered to be intelligent.